Police in Georgia Ask Businesses to Participate in Voluntary Surveillance Program
Police would be able to access security footage of criminal incidents to aid in investigations.
Operation Plugged In looks to help solve crimes and act as a deterrent.
BROOKHAVEN, Ga. – The Brookhaven Police Department has launched a new voluntary program called “Operation Plugged In” to more efficiently solve crimes and arrest suspects.
The program is a police and community video partnership that operates on a voluntary basis with homeowners, neighborhoods and business owners who own private video security systems that record public areas such as roads, parking lots and sidewalks.
Similar programs have been popping up all over the country.
“Operation Plugged In is a great tool for us to utilize after a crime has occurred,” says Police Chief Gary Yandura. “It has already helped us clear up some burglary and auto theft cases.”
The purpose of the program is to let police officers know where cameras are active in the city in case a crime occurs, according to The Marietta Daily Journal. The program is not intended for live surveillance.
“The idea was actually started by Chief Yandura,” says Public Information Officer Carlos Nino. “He is well aware of crime stats that we have in Brookhaven and he figured it would be a good idea for residents to simply let us know about a camera system installed at a household or at businesses that are pointed to parking lots, driveways or streets. We’re not particularly interested in recordings inside of a household. We’re not trying to be Big Brother.”
Registered camera owners will be contacted if a crime occurs in the vicinity of that camera. Information provided by residents and businesses will be maintained in a secure database.
“With this operation, when a crime happens, we’ll know exactly who to contact instead of trying to figure it out through extensive, time consuming canvassing,” says Nino.
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About the Author
Steve Karantzoulidis, Web/Senior Editor
Steven A. Karantzoulidis is the Web Editor for Security Sales & Integration. He graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a degree in Communication and has a background in Film, A/V and Social Media.
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